The maternal microbiota drives early postnatal innate immune development

In collaboration with the Sauer lab, Mercedes Gomez de Agüero and Stephanie C. Ganal-Vonarburg from the Maurice Müller Laboratories (DKF), University of Bern, describe in detail how in gestating mice, the mother’s community of microbes shapes the immune system of the offspring.

20.03.2016 by Nicola Zamboni

Number of comments

Abstract

Postnatal colonization of the body with microbes is assumed to be the main stimulus to postnatal immune development. By transiently colonizing pregnant female mice, we show that the maternal microbiota shapes the immune system of the offspring. Gestational colonization increases intestinal group 3 innate lymphoid cells and F4/80+CD11c+ mononuclear cells in the pups. Maternal colonization reprograms intestinal transcriptional profiles of the offspring, including increased expression of genes encoding epithelial antibacterial peptides and metabolism of microbial molecules. Some of these effects are dependent on maternal antibodies that potentially retain microbial molecules and transmit them to the offspring during pregnancy and in milk. Pups born to mothers transiently colonized in pregnancy are better able to avoid inflammatory responses to microbial molecules and penetration of intestinal microbes.

Reference

MERCEDES GOMEZ DE AGÜERO, STEPHANIE C. GANAL-VONARBURG, TOBIAS FUHRER, SANDRA RUPP, YASUHIRO UCHIMURA, HAI LI, ANNA STEINERT, MATHIAS HEIKENWALDER, SIEGFRIED HAPFELMEIER, UWE SAUER, KATHY D. MCCOY, ANDREW J. MACPHERSON, The maternal microbiota drives early postnatal innate immune development, Science, 18 Mar 2016: Vol. 351, Issue 6279, pp. 1296-1302, DOI: external page10.1126/science.aad2571